Big Old Bones: A Dinosaur Tale

The talented team that brought readers Patrick's Dinosaurs and What Happened to Patrick's Dinosaurs? have collaborated on a highly imaginative, humorous picture book interpretation of the early days of paleontology. Professor Potts and his family find some large bones on a trip to the American West in the late 19th century. They excavate, label and ship the bones back East, where the Professor tries again and again to assemble them and make some sense of his discoveries. Savvy youngsters will identify with Potts's young son, who clearly knows his dinosaurs, and will bask in their own knowledge as the skeletons of a triceratops, tyrannosaurus rex and brontosaurus take shape. The professor enlists his wife's help in making a ``skin'' for his prehistoric beast and finally proudly unveils an amazing beast, the ``TRIBRONTOSAURUS REX,'' decked out in a crazy quilt of colored sailcloth. An afterword places the story within the context of ``mix-ups in the real world of science,'' making the book not simply entertaining, but informative as well. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)